Shuman also offers $500-apiece cannabis-packed cigars, dubbed cannagars. “It’s like a nice cigar, only with a bit more punch to it,” she says. Hand-ground, rolled and laden with half-an-ounce of organic cannabis, cannagars come wrapped in a choice of hemp or tobacco leaf (“especially popular with the hip-hop community, because they like spliffs). Store them in a “cannador” — a handmade cannabis humidor made of carved custom woods (from $500 to $3,000; bhcclub.com). Shuman warns, “Those sell out pretty quickly.”

A version of this story first appeared in the April 13 issue of The Hollywood Reporter magazine.

]]>Green rush to marijuana stocks has led to penny stock scamshttp://cherylshuman.com/green-rush-to-marijuana-stocks-has-led-to-penny-stock-scams/
Wed, 15 Jul 2015 02:52:27 +0000http://cherylshuman.com/?p=5130Green rush to marijuana stocks has led to penny stock scams Bob Woods Wednesday, 22 Apr 2015 | 10:00 AM ET CNBC.com Investing in public marijuana company stocks is hot, but the risks might leave many out in the cold. Last year the sector experienced double-digit gains, indicating that marijuana is emerging as a legitimate investment opportunity. The Viridian Cannabis […]

Investing in public marijuana company stocks is hot, but the risks might leave many out in the cold.

Last year the sector experienced double-digit gains, indicating that marijuana is emerging as a legitimate investment opportunity. The Viridian Cannabis Stock Index of 75 publicly traded companies reported a 38.4 percent gain in 2014.

The trend prompted Founders Fund, the San Francisco-based venture capital firm run by PayPal co-founder Peter Thiel, to enter the fray in January. The company agreed to invest millions in Privateer Holdings, a private equity firm in Seattle that’s backing several private marijuana start-ups, including Tilray, a Canadian medicinal pot company, and Marley Natural, a weed purveyor launched by heirs of the late reggae star and ganja devotee.

Founders’ infusion prompted several other mainstream private investors to finally take stakes in that rapidly growing yet complex and still risky multibillion-dollar marketplace. The ArcView Group, a cannabis industry investment and research firm based in Oakland, California, predicts a 33 percent rise in marijuana sales this year, to $3.5 billion from $2.7 billion in 2014. And that’s just for legal weed alone.

While private funders are gradually getting into the game, retail investors have been in it for a few years, taking high risks on dozens of small over-the-counter penny stocks and micro-cap start-ups. Many are based in Canada, where medicinal marijuana has been federally legalized.

A shakeout is coming

“There’s going to be a shakeout in the public companies,” predicted Scott Greiper, president of Viridian Capital and Research, a New York firm that services the marijuana sector, including its stock index. “It comes down to who’s investing my money and running the company. The most important challenge for this industry is the emergence of professional, seasoned executives, operators and board members running both public and private companies.”

Investors worried about putting their money into public companies that legally grow and sell pot might feel safer dealing with the industry’s many ancillary businesses, including consulting, biotech, real estate and software companies. These include CannaGrow Holdings (CGRW), in Centennial, Colorado, which provides services to licensed pot growers in the state; and Totally Hemp Crazy (THCZ), a Dallas-based maker of hemp-infused beverages that recently signed a distribution agreement with a Dr Pepper bottler in Oklahoma.

That’s the strategy guiding Cheryl Shuman, a high-profile proponent of medicinal marijuana, which she consumed in her own cancer treatment, and founder of the Beverly Hills Cannabis Club that bills itself as “the definitive authority on connoisseurship for discerning cannabis consumers.”

Shuman got burned in a pump-and-dump penny stock scheme—several of which have been uncovered by the SEC—and doesn’t invest in publicly traded cannabis companies anymore, instead putting her money into private licensing, media and real estate companies.

“My pride and joy is working with Native American properties,” she said, alluding to last year’s announcement by the U.S. Justice Department that Native Americans can legally grow and sell marijuana on their sovereign lands. “We have 78,000 acres now in the ground.”

Shuman attends city council meetings and Congressional hearings to learn about what properties are zoned for marijuana retailers and cultivation. “It gives me legal, inside information,” she said, “and anyone can go to those meetings. If you are going to invest in the stock market, go to industry expos and events, like Weedstock and CannaCon, and get to know the people behind the companies.”

“If full legalization happens, you’ll see a surge of companies from other industries get involved.”
-Chris Walsh, managing editor, Marijuana Business Daily
Despite studies supporting its efficacy, medical marijuana remains controversial and the plant’s legal status precludes FDA authorization of products sold in dispensaries. Among the biotech companies in the industry seeking such status is London-based GW Pharmaceuticals (GWPH). The public company is also one of the only pure plays in the space, trading on both the NASDAQ and London exchanges.

“We are working directly with the FDA and the DEA to move our products through their [approval] processes,” said Steve Schultz, vice president of investor relations at GW. “The only way to get there is through placebo-controlled clinical trials, and that’s our pathway.”

Investing in public marijuana company stocks is hot, but the risks might leave many out in the cold.

Last year the sector experienced double-digit gains, indicating that marijuana is emerging as a legitimate investment opportunity. The Viridian Cannabis Stock Index of 75 publicly traded companies reported a 38.4 percent gain in 2014.

Marijuana
Getty Images
The trend prompted Founders Fund, the San Francisco-based venture capital firm run by PayPal co-founder Peter Thiel, to enter the fray in January. The company agreed to invest millions in Privateer Holdings, a private equity firm in Seattle that’s backing several private marijuana start-ups, including Tilray, a Canadian medicinal pot company, and Marley Natural, a weed purveyor launched by heirs of the late reggae star and ganja devotee.

Founders’ infusion prompted several other mainstream private investors to finally take stakes in that rapidly growing yet complex and still risky multibillion-dollar marketplace. The ArcView Group, a cannabis industry investment and research firm based in Oakland, California, predicts a 33 percent rise in marijuana sales this year, to $3.5 billion from $2.7 billion in 2014. And that’s just for legal weed alone.

Read MoreMarketers capitalize on pot’s high holiday

While private funders are gradually getting into the game, retail investors have been in it for a few years, taking high risks on dozens of small over-the-counter penny stocks and micro-cap start-ups. Many are based in Canada, where medicinal marijuana has been federally legalized.

A shakeout is coming

“There’s going to be a shakeout in the public companies,” predicted Scott Greiper, president of Viridian Capital and Research, a New York firm that services the marijuana sector, including its stock index. “It comes down to who’s investing my money and running the company. The most important challenge for this industry is the emergence of professional, seasoned executives, operators and board members running both public and private companies.”

Investors worried about putting their money into public companies that legally grow and sell pot might feel safer dealing with the industry’s many ancillary businesses, including consulting, biotech, real estate and software companies. These include CannaGrow Holdings (CGRW), in Centennial, Colorado, which provides services to licensed pot growers in the state; and Totally Hemp Crazy (THCZ), a Dallas-based maker of hemp-infused beverages that recently signed a distribution agreement with a Dr Pepper bottler in Oklahoma.

That’s the strategy guiding Cheryl Shuman, a high-profile proponent of medicinal marijuana, which she consumed in her own cancer treatment, and founder of the Beverly Hills Cannabis Club that bills itself as “the definitive authority on connoisseurship for discerning cannabis consumers.”

Shuman got burned in a pump-and-dump penny stock scheme—several of which have been uncovered by the SEC—and doesn’t invest in publicly traded cannabis companies anymore, instead putting her money into private licensing, media and real estate companies.

“My pride and joy is working with Native American properties,” she said, alluding to last year’s announcement by the U.S. Justice Department that Native Americans can legally grow and sell marijuana on their sovereign lands. “We have 78,000 acres now in the ground.”

Read MoreIPO investing made easy for individual investors

Shuman attends city council meetings and Congressional hearings to learn about what properties are zoned for marijuana retailers and cultivation. “It gives me legal, inside information,” she said, “and anyone can go to those meetings. If you are going to invest in the stock market, go to industry expos and events, like Weedstock and CannaCon, and get to know the people behind the companies.”

“If full legalization happens, you’ll see a surge of companies from other industries get involved.”
-Chris Walsh, managing editor, Marijuana Business Daily
Despite studies supporting its efficacy, medical marijuana remains controversial and the plant’s legal status precludes FDA authorization of products sold in dispensaries. Among the biotech companies in the industry seeking such status is London-based GW Pharmaceuticals (GWPH). The public company is also one of the only pure plays in the space, trading on both the NASDAQ and London exchanges.

“We are working directly with the FDA and the DEA to move our products through their [approval] processes,” said Steve Schultz, vice president of investor relations at GW. “The only way to get there is through placebo-controlled clinical trials, and that’s our pathway.”

Read MoreLooking for top stocks? Bet on popular consumer brands

Outside the U.S., the company already has approval for two cannabinoid prescription drugs: Sativex, for the treatment of multiple sclerosis spasticity and cancer pain; and Epidiolex, for the treatment of childhood epilepsy. Both are in clinical trials in this country. Although the latest results of Phase 3 trials of Sativex as a cancer pain reliever failed, “we have two more trials coming up and feel confident that those could provide positive data,” Schultz explained.

The state of legalization

While retail investors go about their due diligence of dicey penny stocks, and exuberance in the market grows, investing in groups like Privateer Holdings appears less risky. “Prior to Founders Fund, our investors were ultrahigh-net-worth individuals and family offices around the world,” said Privateer CEO Brendan Kennedy. “Founders has changed the environment, and we’re starting to see many more institutional investors contact us.”

Of course, full legalization of marijuana in the U.S. would open the floodgates for all types of investors, not to mention a slew of new stocks for them to target. Currently, 23 states have legalized medical marijuana, and four states plus Washington, D.C., have passed laws that allow recreational pot smoking and edibles ingesting. Nonetheless, cannabis remains an outlawed Schedule 1 drug per the federal Controlled Substances Act. Polls indicate that a majority of Americans favor some form of legalization or decriminalization of pot, and President Obama recently voiced support for medical marijuana.

“Big tobacco, big pharma, even big agriculture companies are starting to kick the tires to see where the opportunities are,” said Chris Walsh, managing editor of Marijuana Business Daily. “If full legalization happens, you’ll see a surge of companies from other industries get involved. That will shake up the sector.”

If and when that happens, expect big investment bucks to follow.

—By Bob Woods, special to CNBC.com

Original Post: http://www.cnbc.com/2015/04/22/investing-in-public-marijuana-stocks.html

]]>Massachusetts Bill to protect medical marijuana patients, caregivers scheduled for State House hearinghttp://cherylshuman.com/massachusetts-bill-to-protect-medical-marijuana-patients-caregivers-scheduled-for-state-house-hearing/
Tue, 14 Jul 2015 04:37:03 +0000http://cherylshuman.com/?p=5120Bill to protect medical marijuana patients, caregivers scheduled for State House hearing SOURCE: MassLive.com A bill before the Massachusetts legislature would tweak and clarify the 2012 medical marijuana law to further protect patients and caregivers. Complete Story on this link: http://www.masslive.com/politics/index.ssf/2015/07/bill_to_protect_medical_mariju.html

]]>Bill to protect medical marijuana patients, caregivers scheduled for State House hearing
SOURCE: MassLive.com
A bill before the Massachusetts legislature would tweak and clarify the 2012 medical marijuana law to further protect patients and caregivers.

Complete Story on this link:
http://www.masslive.com/politics/index.ssf/2015/07/bill_to_protect_medical_mariju.html

]]>How Ottawa Canada created the ‘wild west’ of medical marijuanahttp://cherylshuman.com/how-ottawa-canada-created-the-wild-west-of-medical-marijuana/
Tue, 14 Jul 2015 04:14:36 +0000http://cherylshuman.com/?p=5112How Ottawa created the ‘wild west’ of medical marijuana Source: The Globe and Mail Jenna is a PhD candidate at the University of Toronto in sociology and the Collaborative Program in Addiction Studies. Complete Story on: http://www.theglobeandmail.com/globe-debate/how-ottawa-created-the-wild-west-of-medical-marijuana/article25418417/

]]>How Ottawa created the ‘wild west’ of medical marijuana
Source: The Globe and Mail
Jenna is a PhD candidate at the University of Toronto in sociology and the Collaborative Program in Addiction Studies.

Moms for Marijuana International (MFMI), founded by Serra Frank in 2005 whose vision was adopted by Executive Director Cheryl Shuman in 2014, recently celebrated its 10-year anniversary on April 20th, 2015.

In conjunction with the anniversary celebration, MFMI is proud to announce the launch of a marijuana mentorship program and ongoing series of industry networking events in partnership with Cheryl Shuman Inc., a public relations, media, product branding and business development firm.

“Cheryl has accomplished so much extraordinary progress in worldwide Cannabis reform, reaching millions of parents through the utilization of mainstream media. We have grown from 45,000 followers to over 500,000 in less than a year,” said Serra Frank, MFMI’s Founding Director. “Everything I have ever seen Cheryl do has been historic and monumental in Cannabis reform. She is leading not only moms but the entire movement by making history in the media.”

Known as the Cannabis Queen of Beverly Hills, Cheryl Shuman celebrates her first year as Executive Director for MFMI on Mother’s Day this year. Cheryl says that she has, “been working with Serra for many years now and have always been inspired by her vision and dedication to families around the world. I am honored to lead such a dynamic and ambitious organization with such a clear and focused mission—improving the lives of the world’s most vulnerable, women and children. The MFMI partnership with my marketing firm creates a wonderful opportunity for women around the world to follow in the footsteps of Pauline Sabin from the 1930’s who led a group of dedicated women to overturn alcohol prohibition; today, we are making history working towards the end of cannabis prohibition.”

In addition to launching a mentoring campaign and networking event series, MFMI and Cheryl Shuman also announce the Official Mom Squad, the name given to MFMI’s organizational membership roster. “After ten years without an official membership, membership dues, or membership requirements, it is time for Moms for Marijuana to take the next step in becoming everything it is meant to be. Unity in our cause is the primary goal. It is our hopes to further the movement through acceptance of each other while negating a bully mentality that has attempted to infect our community. Through an organized, positive, and loving membership, we can ensure our voices echo into the future.”

Directed by Serra Frank and her original vision for promoting education, raising awareness, and creating discussion about the Cannabis plant all around the world, the Official Mom Squad will continue to mentor and guide all who consider themselves a Mom for Marijuana into a formidable collective force for marijuana legislative reformation. Through united efforts, all members can be active in helping realize everything the MFMI organization ever envisioned achieving.

“Women are the secret to legalization. We are the family decision makers and influencers in society; after all, women buy 85% of all household and consumer products, according to Adweek. Now we can use that influence to change laws, save lives, families and introduce parents to new possible careers in the green rush. As an entrepreneur, it’s exciting to be on the ground floor of the cutting edge of making news and witnessing the convergence of celebrity and cannabis culture,” exclaimed Shuman.

“The right leadership team is everything. It was evident immediately, working with Cheryl and leveraging her character, knowledge and networking base these past few years, that it was a perfect fit in terms of values, integrity and personality. The leadership of Cheryl Shuman and her team elevate MFMI’s exposure. The value of their ability to provide global celebrity and media exposure for our organization are priceless,” said Serra Frank.

About Moms for Marijuana International:
Moms for Marijuana International is a grassroots network and organization of parents and other citizens across the world who are concerned with what they consider an ignorant war that continues to be fought against the Cannabis (Hemp or Marijuana) plant, and how it is negatively affecting future generations. The organization focuses on raising awareness, promoting education and cultivating discussion about every aspect of the Cannabis plant – its history and prohibition, as well as the potential it has for the future. Since its creation by disabled homemaker, Serra Frank, in 2005, Moms for Marijuana International has grown into a global organization of parents actively working to change the stigma that surrounds the Cannabis plant and its consumers. Moms for Marijuana has a twitter following of 22,000 people, and a Facebook following of over 500,000. In 2012, they also started a sister chapter called Parents for Marijuana International, that has a Facebook following of over 50,000.

Media personality Cheryl Shuman is the founder and C.E.O. of Cheryl Shuman, Inc. Established in 1984, Cheryl Shuman Inc. is the leading public relations, media, product branding, event production and business development firm focusing on merging mainstream with the cannabis industry. After years of following failed allopathic medicine treatments, she opted for medical cannabis in the form of raw juice and oils as an alternative. Her success using medical cannabis led her to found the Beverly Hills Cannabis Club (http://www.BHCClub.com). Today, Cheryl is the most visible and recognizable entrepreneurs in the marijuana reform movement, recently receiving the 2013 Activist of the Year Award at Seattle Hempfest and the 2014 Woman of Influence Award.

Shuman serves as the Senior Advisor with Jacob Securities Investment Banking firm in Toronto on a $50 million investment fund specifically for Cannabis investments. She recently launched a luxury cannabis conference series to focus on the affluent cannabis market and high-dollar investment vehicles for the rapidly growing space.

Cheryl Shuman is currently in development for multiple television shows and is represented for TV, film, book and lecturing deals by the prestigious William Morris Endeavor Agency in Beverly Hills. For more information, please visithttp://www.CherylShuman.com.

]]>CWCBExpo is Successful in NY, Now Heading to LAhttp://cherylshuman.com/cwcbexpo-is-successful-in-ny-now-heading-to-la/
Sat, 11 Jul 2015 21:38:13 +0000http://cherylshuman.com/?p=5099NEW YORK, NEW YORK THE FINANCIAL AND MEDIA CAPITAL OF THE WORLD. The Cannabis World Congress & Business Exposition had the media and financial industry’s attention at the 2nd Annual Event in New York. Here are highlights from the 200+ media who covered all the excitement, deal making and energy at the leading business event for the legalized and medical marijuana […]

The Cannabis World Congress & Business Exposition had the media and financial industry’s attention at the 2nd Annual Event in New York. Here are highlights from the 200+ media who covered all the excitement, deal making and energy at the leading business event for the legalized and medical marijuana industries, June 17-19 at the Javits Center in New York:

The Law Office of Matthew Pappas, The Human Solution International, the Law Office of Anthony Curiale and The Swain Law Office will hold a press conference on Friday, July 3, 2015 at 1:30 p.m. at the Marriott Live located at 900 W. Olympic Blvd. in Los Angeles.

Attorney Matthew Pappas and retired L.A.P.D. Deputy Chief Steve Downing will discuss additional video of Santa Ana officers engaged in inappropriate behavior during raids of medical marijuana collectives and will provide an update on evidence of political corruption related to Santa Ana’s medical marijuana ordinance and lottery. Patient Marla James will show a new electric wheelchair paid for and provided to her by a cannabis oil company in Colorado after people working for the company watched video of the May 26 Sky High collective raid in Santa Ana. Thereafter, attorneys Anthony Curiale, James Kajtoch and Stefan Borst-Censullo will discuss a multi-million dollar state claim for damages filed on behalf of patients attacked during April and May raids in Santa Ana.

The Swain Law Office will announce the filing of a federal civil rights lawsuit against the Kansas Department for Children and Families and State of Kansas. Earlier this year, cannabis oil activist and Crohn’s disease sufferer Shona Banda, who has successfully used cannabis oil to manage her disease and developed her own inexpensive method to extract it, had her home raided by police and son taken simply because she uses cannabis to treat her serious condition. Thereafter, the State of Kansas arrested Ms. Banda and charged her with felony marijuana violations exposing her to a potential 30-year jail sentence.

Joe Grumbine, President of the Human Solution International, a human rights organization based in Southern Califonria, along with Rolland Gregg, one of five people charged by the federal government with violating federal law for growing marijuana for a family member with cancer and other seriously ill patients in Washington state, will discuss the federal government’s refusal to comply with provisions of section 358 of the 2015 federal appropriations act barring federal funds from being used to interfere with implementation of medical marijuana laws in 35 states. Attorney Matthew Pappas will discuss the filing of a federal lawsuit seeking to enjoin the Justice Department from spending further money in the criminal case against Gregg.

Highlighting widespread corruption by city officials related to medical marijuana, former Planning Commissioner Dean Gray will discuss a state lawsuit filed against the City of Desert Hot Springs for corruption, Brown Act violations and civil rights violations along with evidence presented that the Mayor of Desert Hot Springs along with other city officials were directly involved with medical marijuana collective applicants in that city’s score-based ordinance that resulted in approval of the collective applicant the Mayor now works for. Pappas will also discuss an additional federal lawsuit against the City of Anaheim filed by Tony Jalali seeking damages caused by Anaheim’s continuing attack on him after he won against the federal government and city in a forfeiture action in 2013.

While significant civil rights gains have been achieved in the last few weeks, seriously ill and disabled individuals continue to face discrimination and widespread corruption simply because medical cannabis is effective for them. From taking children to jailing hundreds of thousands of Americans, the federal government as well as state and local governments continue to target patients.